One Step at a Time
by Ceara Ivory
Summary: The Spin-off/Sequel to the entire Finding Heaven on Earth series, from R to Stars. This story takes place AFTER Stars and details what comes after a certain heroine makes a great sacrifice and her lover discovers himself unable to move on without her. This story will focus on the aftermath and the events that happen as a result of that sacrifice.
1. Chapter 1

Finding Heaven on Earth:  
One Day at a Time

AN: After much deliberation, I've decided to go ahead and post this. This is the story that is meant to be a Sequel to the entire series of Finding Heaven on Earth. I know many of you are going to want to murder me but at least you'll know ahead of time my ultimate plans for the series and thus when it actually happens in the main series, it won't be that big of a shock. So have fun.

Chapter 1

Her mind made up, she barely registered the screams of the soldiers and her prince. She sobbed as she again remembered all the pain this thing had caused. She saw in her mind's eye her mother sentencing a small innocent baby to death, the death of Endymion and herself, the fight with Nephrite and his death at the hands of Zoisite's youma, Tuxedo Mask being killed by Zoisite only to be revived and brainwashed by the Dark Kingdom. She remembered Kunzite's death and now knowing how her friend Mina, had been affected. The battle with Beryl's youma and the deaths of her friends and guardians, Endymion giving his life to protect her from Beryl. Every single battle with the Black Moon Sisters and Rubeus. The battles with the Death Busters, learning of her mother's bigotry to two of their own. All of it replayed in her mind as she lifted the crystal above her hand. "No more! NO MORE!" she screamed as she slammed the crystal to the hard ground. The crystal glowed bright in her hand before it shattered with a massive explosion. Shards of the crystal flew back at her, slicing into vital arteries and organs. For a brief moment she felt the worst pain she'd ever felt but just as quickly, the pain faded to numbness as her spinal cord was severed. Finally the ground stopped shaking and she wobbled on her feet. She was confused, disoriented. She couldn't feel anything even the ground beneath her feet before she pitched forward.

As she collapsed to the ground, her body broken, she thought about her friends and all the adventures they had together. All the victories they'd shared, all the games they had played, all the manga they had read, even the homework.

She didn't hear everyone running to her but she did feel herself being pulled into strong arms. Her heart told her it was the prince that she loved more than life. Her head rolled, more on its own than on her own power. She smiled to see him. She could feel her life fading away. "Dia...mond... ev...eryone...safe?"

When he nodded and replied in the affirmative, she was satisfied. She just had to be sure. "Crystal?"

"It's gone, you did it," he told her, pleading with her not to speak, to save her strength. She could hear the despair in his voice.

Weakly, she raised her hand and grabbed onto his shirt, as she felt her vision starting to fade. "I... love you..." she managed to say before finally giving in to the blessed darkness.

Slowly, she opened her eyes as a bright light filtered through her eyelids. She stood up to see her friends and lover crying over her.

"Moon Princess Serenity," a voice called to her. She turned to see Pegasus standing there in his grandness.

"Helios..." she said confused.

"It's time to go Serenity, your time here is through, your job is done," he told her and walked up to her, indicating she should mount him.

Serena nodded sadly, holding up a finger. She turned and placed a gentle kiss, that she knew he would not feel, on his cheek. "Goodbye everyone, I love you all." She hopped onto Pegasus and together they flew towards whatever would lie beyond.

She was surprised when they landed in Elysian. "You mean this is it? I thought Elysian was the land of dreams, Helios."

Pegasus reverted back to his human form. "Yes, it is that but it's also part of the Afterworld. Come, you are expected."

He led her down the dirt path to a beautiful alabaster temple. Upon crossing the threshold of the structure; her clothing transformed into her formal gown. "So I guess I'm meeting someone very important?"

"Very important, Princess," he opened the doors to a shining throne room. Inside, standing beside a pair of Egyptian-style thrones, were two elderly, elegant figures.

A woman, glistening white hair tied in pigtails, sort of like hers, but in braids with the ends pinned to the back of her head. Her gown was a shimmering white silk and tulle. On top of her white hair sat a shining, silver tiara.

Her companion was an elderly gentleman who appeared to be only a few years older than her father from the Moon Kingdom. In contrast to the woman, he was dressed all in black and his long hair appeared to be have black, once.

Helios stopped at the foot of the dais and turned to face Serena. "Princess of the Moon Kingdom, I present to you, Lady Cosmos and Lord Chaos, supreme sovereigns over the universe."

Serena's eyes went wide and she instantly curtseyed as the nobles of Nemesis had strived to teach her. Her curtsey was clumsy and she nearly tripped.

"Please Princess Serenity, you hardly need to bow to us," the woman, Cosmos smiled kindly on her. "Allow me to welcome you to the Land of Elysian and to congratulate you."

"Congratulate me? For what?" Serena asked.

"For passing our test," Lord Chaos replied. "I would like to extend our apologies for the pain it might have caused but that's what the crystal was. A test to find the right person."

Serena shook her head. "Right person for what?"

"The right person to inherit our throne of course," Cosmos clarified. "You are the one who passed that test."

Serena frowned. "Wait, you mean I'm the right person to inherit the entire universe? You've definitely got the wrong girl. I'm just plain old Serena."

"You are selfless. You are brave. You love with your whole heart. You will rule a gentle, yet firm hand, knowing when to back off and when to interfere," Chaos refuted. "We originally thought it would be your mother who would pass our test. Sadly, however, she allowed the crystal to cloud her mind and her heart. When the crystal reappeared 1000 years after the Silver Millennium ended, in your hands, we've been watching you. We just needed one last answer."

"What answer?" Serena asked.

Cosmos extended her hand towards the door. In walked two, a child and a young woman.

"Chibi-Chibi? Galaxia?" Serena watched as the two stopped. Chibi-Chibi in front of Cosmos and Galaxia in front of Chaos. Together the pair vanished into the god and goddess. "I'm so confused."

Cosmos came down before her. "Don't try and understand too much, just understand that when the time is right, you will take our place."

She looked away. "What about my friends, what about Diamond? Will they be alright?"

"We don't know. Even we're not all-knowing," the woman told her. "Helios will keep an eye on them, won't you Helios?"

Helios bowed. "Of course, Your Majesty. Would you like me to take her to the waiting area?"

Cosmos nodded. "Yes, and be sure to get her something to eat. I'm sure you're hungry aren't you dear?"

Serena was nursing a serious headache by time Helios had led her to a small clearing with a small pool of water and a few fruit trees. In the clearing, a bountiful feast awaited her, but she found she wasn't really that hungry. All she could think about was her friends, about Diamond. She wondered if she hadn't been too impetuous, too impulsive. She was sure that Raye would give her grief right now if she could. Saying how stupid she was to do this on her own. Now back in her school uniform, she sat down on a downed tree, crying.

Helios came to sit beside her. "Princess Serenity..."

"Don't call me that!" she snapped. "I'm not Serenity. I'm Serena, Serena Tsukino. I'm 17. I was about to start my final year of high school. I was getting married next month. I was going to go to Law School! I'm not selfless, Helios. I'm a very selfish person. I did what I did because I wanted to protect my friends and the man I love! I didn't care about the rest of the universe, I cared about them!" She wept into her hands. "I'm tired of always having to be the hero."

Kindly, yet unsure, Helios put an arm around the teenaged-girl. She cried into his shoulder as she thought about what she would never get to do now.

"Serena, I know you've lost a lot, but...you'll see. This place is paradise. You can do anything you want here," he told her.

"Everything except what I really wanted to do, all because two old bats wanna retire!" she shot at him. She knew she might be playing with fire insulting the supreme rulers of the universe, but she didn't care. She was pissed and rightly so. "I didn't even get a say in this. And you know what's worse, the fact that everything that happened, my mother's apparent insanity, Endymion and Princess Serenity being killed by Queen Beryl, the entire White Moon being destroyed, Wise Man's issues, my own aunt's bitterness...everything can come back to, 'two old bats wanna retire!'' She put a hand to her throbbing forehead. "Look, Helios, I appreciate you trying to make me feel better but I think I just need to be alone for a while."

Helios nodded sympathetically. "Alright, if you need anything just call. You can use the pool to watch over your friends if you want."

Serena waited until he was gone before she went over to the little pool. Her mind was on Diamond and that's what the pool. Her heart broke to see him in such agony, sobbing and pleading for her to come back to him. Knowing she was the reason he was in such a state sent her into heavy sobs of her own. She curled up into herself, crying into her knees, hurting for her beloved prince and for the dreams they would never have.

That was the first and last time she peered into the pool. It was hard enough knowing that they would be sad over but watching it was too much.

In the special clearing, time passed the same as on Earth, and after grieving for about the whole first day, Serena found herself becoming bored. It was Helios who showed her how to access things to do. It was amazing the level of magic this place possessed. She could play her favorite video games, read manga, eat, or sleep all day if she wanted. No homework, no school, no responsibilities existed at all in this small clearing. Everything, it seemed, would be fine.

Things would change on the fourth morning...

Serena was reading another one of the Fruits Basket manga, munching on a cinnamon bun, when she felt Helios appear. It wasn't anything alarming, he always made time to visit her. It was the look of sadness on his face.

"Helios, hello. What's wrong?" she couldn't miss that look.

Helios recalled the dreams he had been watching, his way of keeping an eye on Prince Diamond and the girls. All of Diamond's dreams consisted of him coming here to be with Serena. He'd seen those kind of dreams many times. Dreams where the dreamer wanted to be dead. They always meant the same thing.

"I bring news...about Prince Diamond," he bit his lip.

Serena's breath hitched. "What about him? Is he alright?"

"Serena. . .your death left him broken. Take your pain, and multiply it. You at least can see him. He can't see you. Suddenly, yesterday, Rini disappeared before his eyes. His one last link to you was gone. In his mind, he just lost everything." Helios hesitated.

". . .does that mean. . .no," Serena gasped, unwilling to voice it. She had died for him, damnit! He can't go wasting it now!

Helios shook his head. "He hasn't. . .not yet. But, Serena. . .I've been watching his dreams, and they are like everyone else's who has lost their other half. I believe he will be joining us for dinner, tonight. I'm sorry."

Serena turned from the priest and went to the pool, focusing on her lover. She gasped when she saw him lying on his bed, unmoving, just curled up in the fetal position as he woke from another short dream.

"_Serena...why can't I just be with you..." he sobbed._

She watched as his eyes flicked up to a pretty, crystal bottle filled with some kind of liquid. "Helios, what's in that thing?"

Helios followed her gaze. "I don't know but I'm pretty sure it's poison."

"Diamond, no!" she shouted at the pool. "Don't you dare follow me here so soon!" she smacked at the water. "Helios, can't you stop him? Appear in his dreams and make him change his mind?"

Helios was about to answer when the Chancellor appeared in the pool, pretending to be compassionate but in truth, he was a complete jackass.

"_Coronation, okay, but wedding? There is no wedding! My fiancé is dead!"_

"_Which is why the council has appointed you a bride instead."_

"_What! I am not marrying just any pathetic slut!"_

"_I am sorry, I know this is sudden however, in order to take the throne, the law is clear that you must be married, to ensure an heir."_

"_Then I won't take the throne damn it! I want to abdicate anyway."_

"_Impossible. There is no other legal heir. Yes, your aunt, Onyx, can take the throne in your place, in the event of your death. But she is not a legal heir. You will marry the woman chosen for you, on the date previously set and you will take the throne."_

"_I won't marry her! I fought too hard and too long for the right to marry Serena! I just lost her damn it! You cannot just expect me to get over it, as if it was simply a case of spilt milk! It's not that easy!"_

"_Your Highness, the council allowed you your fun, but now it's time you grow up. You have responsibilities to your people! That is all there is to it! A tailor will be by to make sure the measurements for your ceremonial robes are correct."_

Serena glared at the door as the Chancellor left. How dare he be so harsh to her dear prince?

Helios looked up as an alarm in his horn went off. "Serena, I need to go..."

"Why? What's wrong Helios?" A part of could guess why he was leaving but didn't want to believe. At his sad gaze, she realized her intuition was likely correct. She turned back to the pool as she called back. "You better tell him he's in big trouble!" Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched him sign a few forms that Wise Man gave him.

"_I'm sorry Wise Man. I fought too hard...too long. I can't do it anymore. I'm done...I have nothing left to fight for. Thank you...for everything you've done. For my family and my people...your service will always be appreciated. I just can't do this anymore."_

"Diamond, please, don't do it..." she called into the pool, hoping he would hear her somehow. It was no good as the pool followed him back into his bedroom where he sat down and picked up the bottle with the mysterious fluid inside. "Diamond! You can't! You have a life to live, please!" She kept calling out to him in desperation.

"_I'm sorry Serena. I promised I would try but I can't do it. I can't marry a woman I don't or ever will love. It's selfish I know but...Nemesis will be taken care of. I just want to be with you now. Please just let me with you," He raised the phial to his lips and downed the fluid inside. _

"DIAMOND!" she screamed. She watched lay back on his pillow and closed his eyes. "Diamond...no, you're not supposed to come here yet. Please..." She watched him take one breath, then another, watched his body involuntarily tense up as the liquid went to work on his body. Weeping, she watched as his body finally went completely still, his face slack, minus a content smile.

She stood up; she would meet them at the landing pad. She frowned. She was upset but she was also angry. How dare he do this?

When Pegasus broke through the barrier into Elysian, Serena could clearly see her white-haired prince and he seemed to be smiling. He wouldn't be when she got through with him, she thought. Her brain said she should just be happy to see him again since it's not like he could just go back but her heart was pissed that he would waste her sacrifice in this way. She wanted to see him, to be with him, but she wanted him to live.

When he leaped from Pegasus' back to glide the rest of the way down to her; breaking into a jog eager to reach her; her anger just got bigger. When his lips engulfed hers, she couldn't hold back, smacking him across the side of his head.

"You IDIOT! You big, stupid...URGH!" she shouted at him, growling when she couldn't think of the appropriate euphemism. "How could you? I didn't sacrifice my life so you could kill yourself 4 days after!"

Diamond looked away. "I tried Serena. It was just too hard, I'm sorry."

"You didn't try! You quit, you gave up," she yelled. "You abandoned your kingdom!"

"Excuse me, missy, I did no such thing," Diamond countered frustrated that she would think him capable of such a thing. "I simply invoked my right to name Wise Man as the next king. He'll do a much better job than I would have."

"You still had no right! I wanted you to live out your life," she told him, her eyes sad. "I wanted you to live."

Diamond took her into his arms. "My darling, a puzzle with a missing piece is useless. When Rini disappeared..."

"Hello, Dr. Brown, she went back to the future!" Serena shouted at him. "I saw what happened and Helios explained it to me. She won't be born until the 30th Century and humans don't live for a thousand years, not naturally. And I am very much human." She punched his chest. "Dumbass." She turned away from him, arms crossed angrily.

He put his own arms around her, resting his head against her blonde hair. "I'm sorry my love. I just couldn't live without you. And I couldn't let them force me into a marriage I wasn't ready for. I fought too hard for the right to love you."

She reached her upper arms to return the embrace. "I love you Diamond. That's why I did what I did. To save you, and my friends, and our worlds. You were supposed to live, for me, for them." She turned around buried her face in his chest. "It was hard for me too but I was able to do it because I wanted you to live."

Savoring the sensation of her arms around him once more, Diamond replied. "Forgive me my darling, I'm just not as brave or noble are you are. A life without you, and worse in the arms of another, was just unbearable. I wanted to be with you most of all in this world."

Serena breathed a sigh of resignation. "I guess it's too late to get too mad at you. Moving on, how are the others doing?"

"Miserable," Diamond replied. "We all had our hopes up that we could somehow bring you back. I don't know what they did after it failed. Rini vanished, I thought that it meant our future gone. Our dreams and everything. And I just left, I haven't seen them since."

She reached up a hand to his cheek, wiping away tears he hadn't known he'd shed. "Well, everything's alright now. I know they'll be okay and we're together."

Helios, who had wisely stayed out of the argument, took this time to step in. "I'm glad you two have settled everything. We do have business to tend to before we get you settled in. And we must be going if we're going to get there in time. If you'll follow me."

"Where to?" Diamond asked as they followed after Helios, hand in hand.

"To the viewing pools. It is customary for ones who have admitted here to view their funerals. It's a formality and a courtesy to the friends who will be there to bid you farewell," Helios explained.


	2. Chapter 2

Finding Heaven on Earth  
One Day at a Time

Chapter 2

When he woke up in the strangely quiet area, Sapphire was confused. The last thing he remembered was Tin Nyanko's energy gun and his brother calling his name just before everything went dark. He was sure there had to be something in between, but he could not remember what. He stood up slowly, realizing he was standing knee-deep in fog. Since when did fog go that low? The Door of the Time Gate rose up before him.

"Setsuna..." he thought. He had to find her, was she still back in the 21st Century? Without thinking, he went through the door focusing on his home on Earth.

Inside the room her father had given her at the mansion, unable to stay at the apartment with memories of Sapphire permeating the place, Setsuna was busy packing the possessions she had somehow acquired these last couple of years of freedom.

"You know, you do not have to go," Wise Man told her. He had been trying to talk her into staying since she had announced her intentions to return to the Time Gate two days before.

"I'm sorry Father but I can't stay." Setsuna answered. "I was better off at the Time Gate. I was alone, but I couldn't be hurt like this..." Going outside every day and seeing the house in which her princess had lived and being so close to where he had called home was killing her. She hated leaving her father behind to deal with his own pain and his new role as king of Nemesis but it was just too hard to stay. He would have Nehellenia to help him cope.

"You can't deal with this alone," Wise Man told her matter-of-factly. "Do you think either your princess or Sapphire would want you do this?"

"If that's the argument you used on Diamond, I can see why he didn't listen," she snapped but instantly regretted it when his expression saddened. "Sorry Father, I shouldn't have said that."

"Wait, what about Diamond," a voice came from the doorway behind Wise Man.

Both inhabitants turned to see the blue-haired prince standing there, holding his knees and wheezing as though he had run the whole way, which he had.

Setsuna fell to the bed in shock, hardly able to believe what she was seeing. She had watched him sacrifice his life to save his brother. "Sapphire..."

Sapphire held up a finger as he continued trying to regain his breath, he was not much of a runner. In his own state of shock, Wise Man managed to conjure up a glass of water and give it to the boy. Sapphire nodded his thanks and drank the ice-cold liquid down. "Phew, okay, I can talk..." He walked slowly to Setsuna, his knees wobbly and calves burning from the run, and sat down with a hard thump on the bed.

"Sapphire...is it...can it really be..." the soldier of time fought to understand this most recent shock.

He nodded. "If you mean am I really alive, I think so." He put a hand to his wrist and counted, nodding in confirmation. "Yep, definitely alive. Now, I heard you say something about Diamond. Where is he? Out with Serena?"

At the mention of her dear friend, Setsuna's lip wobbled and she looked away to keep him from seeing the tears forming.

Sapphire hesitantly put a hand around her waist, concerned. "Sets, what's wrong?"

"Serena...Serena's dead, Sapphire..." she said softly, tears falling from her cheeks to the bed sheets beneath. "In the final battle with Galaxia..."

Sapphire's breath hitched. Instantly, he thought of his brother. "Oh god, where's my brother. I need to see him." He stood up to find his brother.

A hand on his wrist pulled him back. "Sapphire," Setsuna tried to begin the hard conversation.

"Setsuna, I'm sorry, I know she was your friend, your princess, your leader but she was my brother's fiancée. I have to find him, make sure he's okay..." Sapphire kissed her hand quickly and pulled away. Wise Man blocked his path. "Wise Man, please, let me pass. Diamond needs me..."

"Sapphire, you must..." Wise Man tried to say.

"Look, say what you need to say later, I have to find him," Sapphire tried to push past the old man.

"He's DEAD Sapphire!" Setsuna shouted, sparing Wise Man from having to say it.

Sapphire blinked as he registered what his girlfriend had said. "Excuse me, I just hallucinated, what?"

"He is dead, Sapphire," Wise Man told him.

With the news coming from both, Sapphire could not deny what they had said a second time. Shock overwhelmed him and he collapsed into the chair by the vanity. "No...Diamond...what happened?"

Seeing his daughter was in no condition to tell Sapphire the story, Wise Man knew he would have to. "Moon Princess Serenity gave her life on the night of the final battle. She learned from Galaxia that the crystal was the source of all of their trials and tribulations since the days of the Silver Millennium. In order to stop the crystal from summoning more chaos to this world, she destroyed it. However, because of Queen Serenity's actions at the end of the Silver Millennium, Princess Serenity's life was attached to the crystal. In return for betraying the crystal, destroying it took her life as well. You know how close your brother was to the Moon Princess, Sapphire. And seeing as you had died not even two weeks before...and Emerald and Rubeus soon afterward, he was not coping well."

"She was the one he could talk to; he told her things he couldn't tell me. He didn't want to burden me with his problems, but he could talk to her..." Sapphire said. "Was he killed that night too?"

"No..." Wise Man replied as he tried to comfort the sobbing Setsuna. "As I said, you know how close he was to her. As you just said, she was the one he could talk to about anything. He was doing all right, overall, until Neo-Moon Princess Rini vanished from existence four days later. Add to that the council trying to force him to marry another woman and take the crown...somehow he acquired a phial of an unknown poison, my scans suggest Hemlock, and..."

Sapphire shook his head with a sad chuckle. "Fate is laughing at me. I died protecting him and I come back and he's dead..." he covered his eyes as he fought the tears that wanted to come. "What about Nemesis? Don't tell me Onyx is..."

"No, for some reason your brother decided to will the kingdom to Nehellenia and myself," Wise Man assured him.

Sapphire felt a miniscule amount of relief until he registered the rest of that sentence. "Wait, will? He had time to make a will? Please tell me you found this "will" next to him in a note or something and you didn't have something to do with this!"

"If you're asking me if I knew he was going to do it, the answer is yes. I was the one who gave him the forms to sign when I recognized the signs that he had made the decision," Wise Man replied.

Sapphire's sapphire-blue eyes flashed with surprise and anger. "You knew and you just got him the forms to sign! Why didn't you stop him? You could have stopped him! You just LET him kill himself!" He stood and seemed ready to attack Wise Man. "He trusted you! How could you!"

"Sapphire," Setsuna snapped out of her stupor when she saw what her boyfriend was about to do to her father. "Stop, he wanted to stop him, he did!" she grabbed him back

"Oh he wanted to, that makes everything just peachy doesn't it?" Sapphire fumed as he pulled away from Setsuna and grabbed the man by the robe. "You let my brother die, you bastard! I'll kill you!"

"Sapphire!" Setsuna shouted as she fought to get Sapphire to release the Wise Man who did not even bother fighting back.

A forceful wind picked Sapphire up, forcing him to let Wise Man go, and sending the young boy back into his chair. Nehellenia stood in the doorway, anger in her face.

"Prince Sapphire, how dare you attack your father?" Nehellenia scolded.

"He's not my father! He is nothing like my father! My father would never have let my brother kill himself!" Sapphire shouted as he stood back up intending to continue in his murderous rage. "He let my brother die damn it!"

"Sapphire!" Setsuna got between her boyfriend and her father, now on the floor where he had fallen. "Stop it!"

Looking from her and to the fallen wizard, Sapphire felt his rage all but vanish. "He let my brother die...my brother is dead...it's all his fault. And I'll never forgive him!" Hot, angry, despairing tears dripped down his face.

"No, Sapphire," Nehellenia knelt beside her husband. "He wanted to save your brother, he tried to help him."

"He just admitted to having Diamond sign a will! He didn't try to save him!" Sapphire refuted. "He as good as killed him himself!"

"NO!" Setsuna declared. "He did try Sapphire." She put her arms around him.

"You two, please, stop..." Wise Man's voice broke through. "Sapphire is right...I could have done more to stop Diamond just as I could have done more to save Serenity."

Nehellenia shook her head. "No, dear Chronos, you tried to talk him out of it every day following her death. He was an adult, capable of making his own decisions. You did your best. Sapphire is just upset and saying things he doesn't mean," she looked at the boy with reprimand in her eyes.

"No," Wise Man slowly rose back to hovering. "He's right. I'm not his father. I let his brother die when I could have done something more. I could have gotten him professional help, something." Before they could say anything else, he left the room to grieve alone."

Sapphire's anger faded the longer Setsuna let him cry into her. He shook his head. "Diamond...brother..."

"Sapphire, he did try..." Setsuna told her boyfriend as she led him back to the bed to sit down. "He cared for your brother, like a father does for a son. He cares for you too."

Nehellenia sat on the other side of the grieving young man. "Your brother wanted to die, Sapphire. He was miserable and the council was about to force him into a life he did not want with a woman you know he could never love. You think he could have saved your brother, but he did. Rather than let the council have its way with him, he allowed Diamond the right to make his own choices. All Chronos could do was try and he did. In the end, he did save your brother. You know your brother is happier now just like I know you're happier being back here able to continue your dreams."

The boy looked at the woman. "I want my brother..." his face reflected the sadness in his voice.

"I know," was the simple answer before Nehellenia got up to go deal with her husband. "You might want to consider apologizing by the way. He was already blaming himself and grieving and while I know you didn't really mean what you said, it didn't help matters."

Sapphire looked at Setsuna and sighed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have attacked your father...I was just so angry."

"I know, I know how you're feeling," Setsuna told him. Somehow having him back, being able to commiserate with him was helping her to feel a little better than she did earlier that day. "I miss Serena terribly. I didn't know your brother as well as I did Serena, but I know he loved her very much and I know he loved you too."

"She was the first person to be able to get him to open up, to become a person again," Sapphire said. "He always pretended he was so immoveable, like nothing could get to him. He would get hurt, bury it all inside of him, and say nothing...I knew that someday, he would be forced to release it, in one big boom. I just, I just thought she'd reach him in time."

"She did," Setsuna told him. "But we didn't. We failed to let him know that we would be there for him, as much as we would be there for each other. If you want to blame someone, blame us. Don't blame him. He tried; he was the only one who took any time to try to talk sense to your brother. A few times, it seemed like he had gotten through but...when Rini disappeared, we found out that he was simply relying on the idea that we could somehow get her back. And we were just so absorbed with our own hurt that we didn't think of him, even when he was doubled over sobbing like his world had just ended."

Sapphire looked down. "I didn't even get to say goodbye...I assume there's already been a funeral, if you were getting ready to leave. I'd like to see..."

He didn't need to finish that sentence. She knew what he was asking. As much as it hurt her to go back so soon, she knew he needed to. "I'll take you there."

* * *

She led the way to Nephrite's home, back through the garden gate that he had promised to leave unlocked so that they could come and visit the grave if they wanted. She stopped at the intersection that would lead to the site. "They're right down that path. I'll stay here, I can't..."

He hugged her. "It's alright, I understand." He followed the path slowly to the structure. To his surprise, someone was already there. Quietly, Sapphire came to stand beside him.

"I am sorry about your brother, prince. You were right, I didn't do enough...," the old man told with a heavy sigh.

"No," Sapphire shook his head. "You did what you could...I was wrong to say those things. It's just...gods, it's not fair."

"No it's not. None of this is. I know I should have stopped him, I knew what he wanted to do. I was just; my judgment was clouded by the memories of the pain of my youth. Ananke, Gaea, my children. All ripped away from me. I tried to tell the council not to push it, that Diamond wanted to try to make it but he needed time to heal. They didn't listen to me and instead came to Earth to tell him that he had to marry the woman they chose and take the crown and they didn't care about his pain at all." Wise Man looked up, heaving a sigh of pain and guilt. "I thought I was doing the right thing by letting him make his own choice. "

"And you were," Sapphire told him. "I'll miss my brother, but he is happy now, I know he is. He wouldn't have been if left under the thumbs of those upper-class jackasses."

"Well, we won't have to worry about them much longer. I have been working on disbanding the council and creating a better way of governing," Wise Man informed the young prince. "Onyx has of course, been thrown off the council either way. She put her foot in her mouth a few too many times over the last week."

Sapphire laughed a little. "I just wish..."

"Your brother has been hurt a lot, Sapphire. This has building since your parents died and he was suddenly thrust into a position meant for adults," Wise Man told him. "I believe the humans call the issue 'Post-traumatic Stress Disorder'. I saw the symptoms. He should have been in therapy since then, but the council did not want to hear of it. They were convinced that such an issue is limited to those weak of mind and body and did not want the people to think that their future king was not of sound mind. Never mind that some of the strongest minds in the universe have been through counseling. I should have ignored them and done it anyway."

"Yeah, it wouldn't have been the first time you told them to go screw themselves," Sapphire agreed. "I used to hate you. I did not trust you; I thought you only wanted to take advantage of my brother. However, I was just jealous. He paid so much attention to you, hanging off your every word and ignored me whenever you were around. I knew that's because you were simply trying to teach him but..."

Wise Man stopped the boy. "Your suspicions were correct, Sapphire. When your father made me head advisor and tasked me with being your guardians in the event of their deaths, I have to admit that I had no good intentions for any of you. I only saw my opportunity to get my revenge on the White Moon Kingdom." He stopped to take a breath. "I planted seeds of bitterness and anger in your brother, Rubeus, Emerald and the Sisters. You somehow resisted, guess I know why now. When he saw Neo-Queen Serenity and expressed a desire for her, I had thought it was simply the teenage hormones finally kicking in and planned to keep on with Plan A. When I had seen the desire fanned into a flame, I decided to use it, encouraging him to woo her in the past instead and wait for my chance to destroy all of you." He sighed. "I don't know how it happened, but somehow, interacting with the humans, especially the little rabbit, I felt a change inside of me. She was kind to me, reaching out to my loneliness, even called me 'grandpa.' When she found out who I was, she didn't run, she cared anyway. It wasn't until Diamond came home from that function, the night your identities were first revealed, that I realized that I cared too. I cared that he was worried that Serena might never take him back, might never love him the way he wanted." Now that little rabbit was gone. The little rabbit who had made her way so insistently through the barrier around himself he had thought was impenetrable.

"Why are you telling me this?" Sapphire asked. He was shocked to hear Wise Man confessing to having wicked intentions for his family.

"I never got to tell your brother, how wrong I'd been. Never had the chance to admit the wrongs I had committed even if only in my mind," the old man told him. "Never had the chance to repent. Never even had the chance to tell him how much like a son he was to me, the son I never had the chance to raise."

"I don't think you needed to," Sapphire said honestly. "I think he felt the same way; that you were like a father to him. Likewise, to be honest, you were like a father to me as well. I'm sorry I said you weren't." He reached out to touch the mausoleum. "And I think, even if he had known your original intentions, he would have felt the same way anyway."

"It still needed to be said," Wise Man told him.

Sapphire laid his head against the cool stone. "I just don't know how I'm going to go on without brother."

"Oh you'll go on all right," came the hard answer. "You know why?" Sapphire looked back at the man. "Because if you dare to even think of hurting my daughter again; I will make your life and your afterlife miserable."

Sapphire nodded. "Don't worry, I won't do anything stupid. I love her...I'm glad to have another chance to be with her." He stood up and ran his hands over the Black Moon crest in the door. "Farewell brother...be happy..."

Together boy and old man left the grave, meeting up with their mutual loved one back at the intersection. Setsuna was surprised to see her father there but was also happy to see that he and Sapphire seemed to have reconciled. The tears she had been shedding while waiting slid down down her cheeks.

Sapphire gently wiped her face and kissed her. They would be all right. It would take time but they would heal. Moreover, they would do it together.

No one knew that they were being watched from one of the mirrors of their rooms in the Golden Palace.

"Goodbye, little brother," Diamond said as he watched Sapphire and Wise Man leave the mausoleum. He had been watching since he had felt Sapphire's awakening in the living world. He had been disturbed at Wise Man's confession but he also knew he already forgave the old man. Whatever he had planned was in the past and he had changed for the better.

"Diamond," her voice broke in as her arms slipped around his neck.

He smiled and taking hold of her hand pulled her carefully over his shoulders. She yelped as she fell into his lap. He simply held her gently, looking into the blue eyes that always seem to hold him captive. Yes, they had all changed for the better.

When they were a block from home...

"Chronos darling, you may want to have Sapphire wait outside. Unless he wants to be King," Nehellenia's voice rang in his head. "The Council is here to discuss Diamond's Will as well as the declarations you've been preparing to enact."

Wise Man looked back at the boy. "Boy, you are the official heir being his brother. Do you want the position?"

Sapphire shook his head. "No, I've never had any desire to be king. I never did envy Diamond the "fun" of preparing for that."

"Then you should wait, perhaps you should go see your business partner. The council is here and you know if they see you, they will disregard Diamond's final wishes," Wise Man also knew they would seek to manipulate and use the boy as badly as and perhaps worse than they had used Diamond. "Daughter, go with him. There may be some yelling."

* * *

Once the pair was safely out of sight, Wise Man entered the mansion, reverting from his human guise upon crossing the threshold.

"Chronos dear, is that you?" Nehellenia's voice emanated from the drawing room. He could hear the forced amiability in her tone.

Wise Man answered back. "Yes, Nehellenia."

She came out of the parlor door, kissing him in welcome home. "How are you holding up?" she asked, knowing where he had gone when she could not find him anywhere in the manor.

"I will be, I just needed some time," he said the last bit loud enough for the council to hear.

She rubbed his shoulders. "Well, why don't you come into the parlor, we have guests and I made fresh coffee."

He loved how good his wife was at playing the homemaker when she wanted to. She mostly only did it when they had guests, particularly these guests. He schooled his expression and followed into the den.

Three men, the Chancellor and the short, pudgy Lord Agate and a taller, lanky man with bright orange hair looked up from their cups of coffee as they entered. "Ahh Wise Man."

"Gentlemen, forgive me for not being in when you arrived. I was visiting the prince and princess' resting place," he stated without a hint of emotion. "I assume you are to discuss the prince's last wishes."

Lord Agate set down his cup. "Yes, actually. You know that tomorrow we will be holding a memorial for the prince, seeing as you would not allow him to be cremated on Nemesis as our custom normally dictates."

"Custom is all well and good, Agate, but I felt in this case, he needed to be laid with the woman he loved. That is the custom on Earth," Wise Man explained. "And it was such a small thing to grant him seeing how much he was denied in his last days."

"Except now his people are denied their right to bid a proper farewell to their prince," Agate countered.

"And we know that this is all about the people and NOT about your unnatural need to control everything about him," Wise Man snapped. "Stop pretending this is all about the people. I know that the people would never have allowed you to force him into something he was not ready to do. I know that the people trusted him to do what was right by them, as he has always done."

"Yes, up until that classless, commoner princess came into the picture," Baron Topaz said with an air of self-importance.

Nehellenia's mouth dropped. "How dare you insult my niece, you pompous wind-bag? Serena had more class than any of you ever will."

"If we may continue," the Chancellor's voice entered the arguing fray. "We are here to discuss the memorial service, your coronation and something else that is very important." He glared at his associated until they returned to their seats. "Now, we plan to do the coronation after the memorial service, since everyone necessary will already be there and appropriately dressed. I assume you are still willing to take the position."

"Yes, my wife and I discussed it and if this is what the prince wanted, then it is what must be done," Wise Man answered.

"Then we will also need to know your true name, as King Wise Man doesn't quite sound right and we know that is a title, not a name," Chancellor continued.

Wise Man chuckled as he realized he never had told anyone outside of his human friends. "I forgot I never told you. My true name is Chronos."

Agate laughed. "Chronos? You know what would be funny, if you said you were also the God of Time and Creation."

"I used to be," Wise Man told him. "I haven't held that title since the days of the Silver Millennium."

Silence filled the room until the Chancellor took a deep breath to continue. "Very well. Our last point of business is this," he took the folder from Agate and handed it over. "We found these in your desk on Nemesis."

"Ah yes, what were you doing in my office?" Wise Man demanded. "My office has been off-limits since the former king hired me to be his advisor and the princes' tutor."

"Well..." Chancellor prepared to defend his actions.

"Listen to me well Chancellor. I am not as the prince was. You cannot manipulate nor can you control me in anyway. I intend to put this decree into action. When the people hear how you drove the prince to his suicide..."

"How WE?" Chancellor huffed. "We did nothing of the sort. We simply desired him to perform his duties rather than wallow in self-pity."

"After I advised you to wait," Wise Man snapped. "I told you what state he was in, I told how close he was to the decision he made. Yet the very next day, what do you do? You come bearing news that he is going to do as you say despite his personal feelings."

"So we were wrong in wanting to help him get moving again? We were wrong to think that perhaps what he needed was some occupational therapy instead being stuck in his bedroom, crying like a toddler," Chancellor rebutted.

"Ah yes therapy, I will also be informing the people how you refused to allow the prince the luxury of a therapist after the deaths of the king and queen, despite how I warned you that he was showing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder," Wise Man stated. "To spare the "people" from the idea that their prince might actually be a person and not a god. I am a god, Chancellor, and I would have certainly benefited from a few hundred years of psychiatric help."

Agate rolled his eyes. "That is a human affliction, it is of the weak."

"And he was human. He was in no way weak, but he was human! As much as he was raised on Nemesis, he was human who had already dealt with more than most people have by their thirties," Wise Man retorted. "We all need a little extra help sometimes and that was always denied him. The lack of any one to really talk to in a setting where he didn't have to fear judgment ultimately led to his death."

"No, this foolish idea to allow him to be with that Moon Princess led to his death, Wise Man," Chancellor challenged. "It was you who continually pushed for them to be together. If he had never been permitted to pursue such a worthless waif, we would have taken the Earth as part of our empire and..."

"If I hadn't allowed them to be together, I would have killed him myself!" the angry words tumbled out of his mouth before he had the good sense to stop them.

Chancellor's eyes widened at the confession. "What was that Wise Man?"

* * *

The girls (minus Setsuna who had not been informed as she was talking to no one) had all gathered at the temple. The Shitennou stood outside their meeting place, understanding that what they really needed was to be together. Each of the girls had brought a symbol of their time as senshi and of their time with Serena. Luna had Wise Man to save Serena's crystal brooch when he'd made her third and last brooch. She was glad she did. It went at the top of a small shelf. Around the shelf, leaning against the shelf, they placed their crystal change rods and their communicators. They had reasoned they would no longer need the communicators; they would have time to get to a phone if they needed to talk now. Ami pulled out her Mercury Computer; she would never be able to use it again without thinking of Serena.

All of this was silent except for the occasional sniffle accompanied by the sound of weeping. No words could be said, there was nothing to say.

Finally, Raye placed a glass lid over the small shrine. Yesterday they had bid farewell to their dear friend, to their princess. Today they bid farewell to their leader and the lifestyle that had brought them together, the most helter-skelter group of friends one could imagine. They knew that without her and without their lives as soldiers, they might never have met. There would have been no reason for any of them to meet except in passing. Ami and Lita may have met at school but Ami knew she would have been too busy (and too shy) to do more than maybe give a polite hello in the morning. Hikawa Shrine wasn't exactly in any of their general directions. Without their intertwined destinies, even Haruka and Michiru would not have met. And Hotaru, well Hotaru was sure that she would be dead if her destiny had not been to be Sailor Saturn, to serve Sailor Moon and to be a sister to a lonely woman who had felt abandoned in her youth. Their lives would have been kept well separate from each other and they would never have known what was missing. One might argue that to be better than feeling the pain they were currently feeling but each of them knew that they wouldn't change any of it even if they could.

A knock at the door got their attention. "Raye-chan, Meioh-san has arrived. And she has brought a friend..."

Raye got up to let them in and screamed when she saw who was standing with Setsuna.

"What is it Raye?" Lita asked as she got up to help her friend. "Sapphire?!"

"Hey Lita..." the boy said with a smile at their reactions. "How's it?"

Lita shook her head in disbelief. "But how? This..."

He shrugged. "I really don't know how. I just woke up in the Time Gate and knew I had to come home. I just wish I had woken up earlier."

Sensing the awkward levels rising, they mutually decided that it was better not to ask any questions, considering what he had come home to.

"Well, come in," Raye said. "We were just making our own little shrine to honor Sailor Moon."

Setsuna came in, her throat aching, to see the small shrine. "Is it too late to add my own?" She pulled out her crystal change rod. She would offer her time key but she knew she would need it, she couldn't completely abandon her post. She owed it to the princess to protect the time-space continuum. She did remove the Garnet Orb from the top however and laid it with the Deep Aqua Mirror, Space Sword and Silence Glaive.

The other three Outer Soldiers put their arms around her, feeling the unity they'd rarely felt before.

Sapphire waited quietly, looking at the small shrine. He remembered when he had first seen Sailor Moon. Rubeus and the Sisters had the worst time against her and her friends. It was a little ironic and fortuitous that they would end up becoming their closest friends and even allies. They were nothing like their future counterparts, much more willing to trust and to give them a chance, mostly because their leader had been willing to accept them. Thanks to Sailor Moon, to Serena, he had finally found his home.

Another knock at the door interrupted the mood yet again. Frustrated, Raye cried out. "What now?"

"Raye," it was Grandpa. "There's a phone call for you, it's urgent."

"I'll be back guys," she went to take the call. She hoped everything was alright, she didn't know if they could take any more bad news.

"Umm, so..." Sapphire began as he was finally to take a seat. "How is the store?"

Lita shrugged. "Fine, we haven't been open this week though for obvious reasons. I'll be reopening the store tomorrow; will you be up to helping out in your department?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, I'll feel better back with my plants. I wanna try breeding a new hybrid. A cross between a moonflower and Jasmine. Jasmine was Diamond's favorite flower, he just used lilies because they seemed to last longer."

Lita gave the young man a sympathetic pat on the shoulders. She understood exactly how he was feeling. She would feel better back in her element too, surrounded by cakes and pastries and other baked goods.

The door was practically flung off its track as Raye ran in. "Guys, we have a problem! We need to get to Black Moon Manor, now! Wise Man's been arrested!"


	3. Chapter 3

Finding Heaven on Earth: One Day at a Time

Chapter 3

Black Moon Manor:

Sapphire led the way into the parlor where Nehellenia stomped about in a mixture of sadness and pure, unadulterated fury when the soldiers arrived. Phoebus was already there trying his best to keep her calm.

"What happened?" was the first question out of his mouth.

Phoebus looked at Sapphire. "Wise Man accidentally said something he shouldn't have, and the Council decided that he must have murdered Prince Diamond. In truth, they were looking for anything they could find to discredit him as a viable heir to Diamond's throne."

Ami looked at her stepfather. "Wait a minute; what exactly did they say to make them come to that conclusion?"

Phoebus gave the soldiers a meaningful look. "You girls remember when the Black Moon first came to this era?"

"Of course we remember," Lita answered.

"After the loss of his family in the Silver Millennium, he found himself in a very bad place mentally," Phoebus explained.

"He was angry and hateful for a long time and often turned that anger on whole worlds," Nehellenia explained it as he had explained it to her.

Phoebus continued the story. "He was very good at making people trust him, in the 30th Century; he became friends with Azure, formerly the leader of a rebel group on Earth who disagreed with the government under Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion. Azure had recently been named the King of the planet Nemesis after helping them to depose a tyrannical dictator. Azure was Diamond and Sapphire's father. Diamond had been born here on Earth to a human mother who died in the rebellion. Wise Man was hired to be Diamond and later Sapphire's tutor and was eventually named their secondary guardian in the event that he and his second wife, Sapphire's biological mother, should die. Diamond was angry over what he termed as the murder of his mother, and later their banishment."

Sapphire picked up the story. "When we came to Earth, we came for revenge and to get rid of both Serenity and Endymion, to take the Earth for our own. We managed to put Serenity into a coma nearly right before we came here to the past. All grown-up and really sort of discovering women for the first time, Diamond saw Serenity and at first it was lust and he came up with the brilliant idea that he was going to woo her here in the past before she could become Neo-Queen Serenity. I don't think he meant to really fall in love with her, but he did..." Sapphire remembered the jealousy he had felt towards Serenity and Serena for "stealing" his brother from him. He shook his head. "Anyway, Wise Man naturally followed us to help us, or that's what Diamond thought. Instead he confessed to me earlier that he was simply using Diamond at the time, and that if things had happened differently, if the plan hadn't changed then he would likely have killed us all, followed by the Earth. I assume this is what he accidentally told the council."

Nehellenia waved her hand in a so-so gesture. "He said 'If I hadn't allowed them to be together, I would have killed him myself.'"

"But that could be interpreted a couple of ways, not just to prove intent," Ami stated. "He could have meant that if he hadn't allowed Diamond the right to make his own choice, he would have been effectively killing Diamond's spirit or being just like them."

"Yes, we know that, and so do they, but they can't control Wise Man like they could Diamond or Sapphire if he took his rightful place," Phoebus told them. "So they want to instead remove him from the picture entirely. If they are able to get the citizens to agree that he murdered Diamond, they will be able to do so, possibly even execute him for the crime that he did not commit."

"So we need to get the citizens to believe he didn't do it," Lita stated simply. "That should be easy enough, because he didn't."

Ami recalled the criminal law books she had been helping Serena to study. "All right let's think here. We need witnesses that Diamond was suicidal. Nehellenia, you cannot count as a viable witness because you're Wise Man's wife, you'd be considered a hostile witness. However, we all saw him that day in HQ. We heard what he said, and we have the events that happened prior, events that would drive the most mentally stable to suicide. We next need to find where he got the poison, when, and that Wise Man couldn't have gotten the poison himself. He would need an alibi for that time. Nehellenia, did anyone remove the bottle after the incident?"

The woman shook her head. "He hasn't been in that room since he found his body. Nothing was touched."

Ami stood up. "Do you have a pair of rubber or latex gloves, baggies, masking tape, and a Sharpie? I also need a light powder, preferably black, a make-up brush and scotch tape. Sapphire, is there anything Diamond owned that only he would have touched?"

Sapphire thought. "Maybe his toothbrush or hairbrush?"

"That'll work, where did he usually keep them? We'll also need DNA too so that's covering both bases," she wasn't going to ask Sapphire to collect those items. It would be hard enough for her, there was no way he was going to be able to go into his brother's room.

Nehellenia went to get the supplies the young genius needed. This was no time for hysterics or even anger. This was a time for organization and action. "Here you are dear."

About ten minutes later, Ami came back downstairs with bags of evidence together in one big bag. "Mina, do you think Officer Sakurada can get these analyzed as soon as possible? Like within the next couple of days?"

Mina stood, saluting. "I'm positive. I'll take them to her now." She took the bags and left with Kunzite, who could her there faster in his little smart car.

"All right, we need someone who can act as his defense attorney," Phoebus said. "I cannot for the same reasons that Nehellenia cannot be his witness."

"I'll do it," Ami said. "I've been helping study her law books so I've kind of learned a lot too." At least she would be able to use some of that knowledge now, in Serena's memory. "Lita, can you go get the tapes from when we were at HQ that day. We'll need the audio and visual evidence that Diamond said what he did. I also saw the label on the bottle, it was written in a strange language. I think it may be Nemesian." She handed the words that she had copied carefully onto a sheet of notepaper to Sapphire.

"I know this shop, it's an apothecary on Nemesis, and it says Essence of Hemlock. I can go speak with the owner..." Sapphire said after reading the name.

"No, Sapphire, you cannot go." Nehellenia told him. "If you go and they find you, they will force you to take the crown and will only try to use you like they did your brother."

Raye stood. "I'll go talk to the owner, find out when the bottle was sold and who they sold it too."

Ami handed Raye the Polaroid of the bottle in question. "Be sure to find the day and time it was sold. We can assume he bought it the night before but we need them to say it. I recommend taking a tape recorder to document the interview. I will go and speak to the Council."

At once, everyone went about his or her job. Grieving would have to wait until they could put these pompous yahoos in their place.

* * *

The council members were especially pleased with themselves. Not only had they successfully found a way to keep the Wise Man from taking the throne, they had even uncovered a plot against the planet of Nemesis.

"You know, Chancellor, we could easily use this to get the people to agree that we don't need a king, that we, the council are enough government," Lord Spinel, a middle-aged man with reddish-pink hair, said from his place.

"Yes, after we have the man executed for his crimes," the Chancellor agreed.

"Miss, you can't go in there!" the voice of a guard shouted just as the doors to the council room slammed open to admit Ami, dressed in a blue suit.

She came right up to the board. "Hello, am I addressing the head of the Council of Nemesis?" she asked.

"Miss, you have some nerve busting in here," the Chancellor stated. "You're not even from Nemesis it looks like."

"My name is Ami Mizuno; I am also called Sailor Mercury and Princess Amelie of Mercury. I am also the Wise Man's defense attorney," she handed the Chancellor an envelope. "If you think you're going to just punish the Wise Man without even a trial, you've got another thing coming."

"And you're going to make us give him a trial? How do you plan to do that? You are from Earth and have place here, forget jurisdiction," Lord Agate laughed at Ami's boldness.

"Because according to the laws of Nemesis, ratified by King Azure himself, no accused may be sentenced without first a trial before his peers. You must allow him to prove his innocence," Ami declared holding up a copy of the book of bylaws that she had found in Diamond's room.

"Except he has already confessed, dear child. There is no need for a trial," the Chancellor stated matter-of-factly.

She shook her head. "A) unless you have a signed confession on file, which you don't, he has not officially confessed to anything. B) I have a witness who told me exactly what he said. I interpret it to mean that if he had not allowed the Prince his right to have some control over his life than he would only be killing his spirit, perhaps driving him to do what he did just days ago. Therefore, you have nothing against my client. Tell me Chancellor, are you afraid to give him the trial he is rightly owed?"

The Chancellor's angry breath was audible but one of the other council members, Lady Jasper, leaned over. "Chancellor, she is right. We have to follow our own laws or the people will never accept us as their leaders."

"Fine," the Chancellor growled. "We will hold this trial in 5 days, here on Nemesis."

With a nod of approval, Ami grinned. "Thank you Chancellor, now if I may, I would like to speak with my client."

Grudgingly, the Chancellor ordered the guard at the door to escort Ami to the holding cells.

* * *

Wise Man sat in the cell, unable to levitate due to an anti-magic field, on the floor due to a lack of seating. Ami pursed her lips in anger.

"You mean they didn't let you have a wheelchair, knowing you can't walk without your magic?" she fumed.

"Ms. Mizuno, what are you doing here?" he demanded.

"To get you out of here, and stick it to those aristocratic in-breeds once and for all," she told him. "Serena would never forgive us if we let you be punished for something you didn't do."

"Except it's for what I didn't do that I should be punished," he told her. "And surely you know the truth about me by now."

"What? You mean; about the things you did when you were heartbroken and alone? For the intentions you never actually acted upon," Ami told him. "Yes, you were our enemy once, but now you're our friend. You did everything you could for both our princess and Diamond. You might be a god but you are a still just one person. Each of us handles grief and loneliness in our own way. The way we choose may not be the best way but sometimes we can't help ourselves."

"Leave, Ms. Mizuno. I will accept the punishment I rightly deserve. I have fled from retribution for too long," the old man told her.

"No, I will not leave. You know the only reason the council thinks they can get away with this is because they want a king they can control or worse no king at all and taking the power all for themselves. If you just give up, they win and Nemesis will be back to the way it was before Diamond's father came. Diamond wanted you to take care of Nemesis in his place," Ami knelt down to his level while he seemed to think about that. "If you really feel you must make amends or be punished for anything, then do it by obeying Diamond's last wishes for his planet, for his home and his people. So I ask you, will you help us to prove your innocence?"

Wise Man gave Ami a hard look.

* * *

Having sensed a disturbance on Earth, Diamond was again watching the mirror. "Come on Wise Man, you're stronger than this. You've never let those snobs beat you before. Don't start now."


	4. Chapter 4

Finding Heaven on Earth: One Day at a Time

Chapter 4

3 Days Later, Nemesis Palace Courtroom

Crowds of people surrounded the outside of the palace as just as many filled the seats inside. The citizens were quite disgruntled. The council was accusing the Wise Man, their late prince's most trusted advisor, of his murder and worse they had insisted on pushing back the Prince's Memorial Service. The Wise Man had always done his best their beloved prince and in turn by them.

"There's no way Wise Man would ever kill our prince," one citizen told a reporter as he was filming. "We trust him and there is no way the Council can change that."

Inside the courtroom, the jury members were already in their seats. Wise Man and Ami sat quietly at the defendent's side of the room. A prosecutor eyed the wizard with a disapproving sneer. Ami simply stared him down.

While preparing for the trial, Ami had force herself to go back over the books that she had yet to put away. It was difficult. She kept remembering the cram sessions and being surprised at how hard Serena was actually trying.

"_Wow Serena, 154! Awesome. You're only 20 away from a score worthy of Harvard, you're doing so well!"_

A hand on her shoulder snapped her back to reality. She looked up. "Zoisite..."

"You looked like you could use a hand," he sat by her and placed a cup of her favorite tea beside the books. "And a cup of tea."

"In just a year or two, Serena would have been in law school. She was working so hard," Ami felt tears prickle at her eyes. "She could have gone to Harvard if she wanted to."

Zoisite knew there was nothing he could say to make his girlfriend feel better. He rubbed her back in sympathy. "I know this is hard for you. If you wanted, I could take the case instead..." he had been there during the study sessions, helping Serena and satisfying his own lust for knowledge.

Ami shook her head. "No...I have to do this...I promised I would help him. Serena would want me to clear his name."

"I promise Serena..." she said low to herself. "and you too Diamond. I will save him."

* * *

The Council members walked in as the Bailiff called for all in the court to rise. Naturally, Wise Man was not expected to rise. Ami recalled her return to the council room to demand he be given a wheelchair at the very least, to allow the man a little dignity. They had quibbled over the demand but she had threatened to put the fear of god in them if they failed to comply. She was surprised these men were as threatening as they were, they seemed to be cowards in her opinion. Of course, she also realized she would likely have to bring up the man's paraplegia and her mom had asked a good friend of hers to go up to Nemesis and use their facilities to run an X-Ray on the man. She looked around and saw the doctor in the gallery. All of the soldiers were there. Officer Sakurada had been more than willing to help Mina and her friends, especially when she learned she would have the opportunity to travel to another planet to present the evidence her department had found.

They had the tools to win this case, now they just had to use them and put the council in their place, preferably the trash.

"We are here today to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused, Wise Man, one-time tutor and former head advisor to our beloved Prince Diamond," the Chancellor said. "Bailiff, if you could read the charges."

The Bailiff unrolled the small scroll. "Head Advisor Wise Man is charged with conspiracy to commit treason, conspiracy to commit murder and murder in the first-degree of the late Prince Diamond. All of which carry a death sentence if found guilty."

Ami murmured under her breath. "Over my dead body."

"Prosecution, you may make your opening argument," the Chancellor stated.

The Prosecutor stepped forward. "Citizens of Nemesis. We have been horribly deceived since the deaths of our beloved late King Azure and Queen Pearl. Wise Man," The man gestured harshly at the man in the defendant's chair. "took advantage of the former king's kindness and proceeded to use his black magic to twist and manipulate our prince and drive him to madness. Under the guise of a benefactor, of a surrogate father or grandfather, he pressured the prince into pursuing the princess of the White Moon. We all know the Wise Man has the gift of clairvoyance. It is this prosecutor's belief that he knew that the princess was doomed to an early death and knew how the prince would handle it. We will prove beyond shadow of a doubt that Wise Man not only encouraged the prince to take his own life, but even assisted, intending to help himself to the throne. Or worse, outright murdered him all on his own."

"Impossible!" A citizen in the back roared. Others joined in fervently denying the prosecutor's accusations.

In his chair, Wise Man grinned to himself. He was starting to feel pleased that he had allowed Ami to represent him after all. Since he had found Diamond's body he had not been the same. He knew he normally would have never told the council what he did even by accident. He was smarter than that. Perhaps, he had done it because only the council would ever give him the punishment he felt he deserved for his sins. And yet, the Princess of Mercury made a good argument. If he allowed them to have their way, they would run Nemesis into the ground. They would control the citizens with an iron hand, even worse than if Onyx herself had simply been allowed to take the throne. It was time to heal, time to forgive himself. He had a job to do, and he would do it.

"Order!" The Chancellor commanded jamming his gavel on the desk. "The Defense may proceed with their opening statements."

Ami swallowed. It was time to keep her promise. "Ladies and gentlemen of Nemesis. You've known Wise Man for a long time, have you not? Has he ever given you one shred of doubt in his intentions? Has he ever treated you and your prince with anything less than the best? No. Wise Man gave willingly of himself to help raise both Princes Diamond and Sapphire after the deaths of your king and queen. He strived to teach Diamond his future role as king, and yet he did his best to allow him to be a child at the same time. This man did indeed become a second father to the two princes. The accusations spewing from the prosecution is pure filth and I am going to prove this benevolent, kind, Wise Man is innocent of all charges and that he has simply become the victim of a group of highbrows that think they control everything they touch. These accusations not only sully his good name, but they also insult and demean the late Prince Diamond and this attorney will not allow it!" She turned a glare onto the prosecutor and the council as she took her seat.

Attempting to return Ami's glare, yet failing, the Chancellor looked at the Prosecutor. "Counselor, you may proceed."

"Yes, the prosecution calls Wise Man to the stand," the Prosecutor saw the number of folders on the Defense table and cringed. Why was this girl so confident?

Slowly, the old wizard maneuvered the wheelchair up to the witness stand, but as he could not actually get into the stand, they had to satisfy themselves with him seated in front of it. The Council knew that would be a problem. How would the jury be able to find an invalid even capable of first-degree murder. They would have to play the black magic card well.

"Wise Man, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" the Bailiff asked.

"I do," Wise Man answered. Little did they know that he would indeed be telling the truth, more truth than the council would want.

The Prosecutor approached Wise Man. "Wise Man, for the record, would you please state your full name for this court."

"Chronos," he said simply.

"Chronos?" the Prosecutor asked. "Is that it?"

"Well, Prosecutor, you must understand that when I was born there was no need for surnames. It was just my mother, my father, my sister and myself," Wise Man explained.

"And when were you born? And whom were your parents?" the Prosecutor asked.

"Your honor, objection," Ami stated. "What does this line of questioning have to do with any of the charges?" Wise Man should not be obligated to reveal his family history.

The Chancellor nodded, in agreement for once. "Sustained. Counselor, please keep your questioning to the issue at hand."

"Yes Your Honor," the man turned back to the old wizard. "I only have a few more questions. Wise Man, did you witness the prince's so called suicide?"

"No, I did not," Wise Man said simply.

"Did anyone witness this so-called suicide?" the Prosecutor asked.

"Not as far as I know. My daughter was out of the house and my wife was preparing the evening meal," Wise Man replied.

"Then you were even alone at that point in time? You cannot deny that you had opportunity to kill the prince?"

Wise Man's eyes grew dark. "I was alone at that point in time, but Prosecutor, I did not kill the prince."

"And yet, you were heard to say the very day after his burial that you intended to do so," the Prosecutor countered. "Do you deny it?"

"I said, 'If I had not allowed the prince to pursue the Princess, I would have killed him myself...'"

Gasps arose from the gallery, gasps of shock and surprise and even some betrayal.

"Thank you Wise Man, that will be all," the Prosecutor went back to his side of the courtroom.

The Chancellor hit his gavel. "Defense may cross examine."

Ami stepped up to the old man. "Wise Man, I can sense you wanted to add to your previous answer. Would you like to complete that answer?"

"I would," Wise Man replied. "What I meant by that statement is simply if I had not allowed the prince his right to pursue the woman he loved, if I had sought to restrict him as the council wished me to, it would have destroyed him. He has been denied so much in his young life, surely the right to choose whom he loves, whom he marries, is such a simple thing." This was partially untrue but he wasn't going to give the council the ammunition to take him down.

Ami nodded. "Tell the court what happened four days prior to the prince's death..." she knew this was a necessary question, she just hoped she would be able to avoid breaking down until she was out of the courtroom.

"Four days prior, the Prince aided the Princess, also known as Sailor Moon, and her soldiers in a final battle against the soldier, Sailor Galaxia. In that battle, the Moon Princess was forced to sacrifice her life to save the lives of her friends and her planet." Wise Man lowered his head in sorrow as he remembered that battle.

Ami had to grip the side of the witness stand for several moments until she could suppress her own grief. "The Princess was... killed? The woman that the prince loved and was going to marry in...less than a month?"

"Yes..."

"And how did he take it?"

Wise Man had to look away. "He was devastated, depressed to the point where he was completely unable to function. Prince Diamond has faced much death in his young life. His biological mother, his father and stepmother in his childhood. Recently, he witnessed the deaths of his two close friends, Rubeus and Emerald, and his own brother took a fatal blow that was intended for him, dying in his arms. The day before...he also lost the last link he had to her, the daughter they would have had in the future if she had lived. Up until that point he had managed a little hope that things would get better but with the disappearance of the pink rabbit, as we called her, he lost all desire to live." The old man, usually a rock under such duress, could not hold back the few tears that fell his eyes.

"I know this is hard Wise Man, it's hard for me too," she said as she heard the gallery reacting to the man's grieving tears. "But can you tell me what your opinion on his mental state was at the time?"

"I believe the boy was suffering from the mental affliction known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He showed signs in his youth after the deaths of his father and stepmother. I would have had him in therapy if I had thought the council would allow it. However, when I had suggested a psychologist when he was a child, the council felt the citizens would think their prince to be unstable and unfit to be their future king. I should not have listened and got him the help he needed," Wise Man said making sure the people knew who it was that had denied their prince that much needed help. "The Moon Princess was proving to be quite the asset in that area. She was the one he could confide in, things he couldn't even tell me or his brother when he was alive. With the death of his brother, she became even more crucial to his mental health. When she died and their would-be daughter vanished in thin air right in front of his eyes, that was it."

Ami could not look at either the people in the gallery or at the council, her face mirroring the Wise Man's. But as the Wise Man spoke the story, she was starting to wonder why they still even remembered Rini. Logically, if the future could no longer happen, then they should have no memory of Rini at all. What did it mean?

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I would like to present Exhibit A, surveillance footage of when the future daughter in question vanished and Diamond's mental state afterward. She walked over to the large monitor. The footage had already been uploaded to the palace computers. With the tap of a few keys, she brought up the footage and told it play.

_Diamond stared in shock at the broken jewel, at his lost love._

"_Daddy?" the fearful cry of little Rini forced them all to turn around. Her hand was becoming transparent. "What's happening?"_

_Trembling, Diamond ran to her. "Rini, Rini no!" He tried to grab her as she continued to fade, but his hands just went through her. "RINI!" his scream echoed through the room as his future daughter faded away, as if she never existed. His heart tore to pieces when he realized what her disappearance meant. Not only was she gone, he had lost his entire future family, including the twins that he hadn't gotten to formally meet. "No..." he moaned as his heart physically hurt him._

"_Diamond..." Wise Man began. No one else was in a position to comfort him._

"_Leave me alone..." he whispered. "Rini is gone. My hope is gone. My brother is gone. Emerald and Rubeus. Serena. I've lost even my future. Everything I love, everything I cherish has just been ripped away from me... Tell me how I'm meant to survive that?" He left the room at a brisk pace._

As Ami switched off the monitor, she could hear those in the jury struggling to hold in their emotions. She dared a look at the council. The Chancellor looked furious while there was at least one on the council who seemed to pity the prince. At least they weren't all jerks.

"Did you try to talk to the prince?" Ami asked as they had discussed prior.

"I did, many times. A few times I thought he had actually heard me, however...I tried to talk him into living again, but..." he shook his head sadly to indicate that his attempts had obviously failed.

"Thank you Wise Man, no further questions, Your Honor," she helped him to get his chair back to the table.

"I think we'll call a ten minute recess to let everyone get their emotions under control," the Chancellor declared hitting his gavel. He knew they were in trouble if this little girl could get the jury to cry. As everyone went to break, he gestured for the Prosecutor to come up. "I hope you have something better to give Prosecutor. Who are you calling next?"

"No one Chancellor. There was no one else who would say anything negative about the old coot. There have of course been rumors that he has destroyed multiple worlds in the past but I can find no one to substantiate these rumors, they're of no use on their own." The Prosecutor sounded concerned. "You might have to accept his innocence and hope you can..."

"NO! If we do that, he'll become king and disband the council entirely, at the approval of the people," the Chancellor insisted. "You'll just need to hope you can properly shoot down all of the defense's witnesses. Or you'll be the one to suffer."

* * *

Outside the courtroom, Ami was trying to avoid the reporters as she was finally able to weep. Hearing the tale of her best friend's death was worse than she expected.

"Ms. Mizuno," a tape recorder appeared beneath her nose. "What is your opinion of this case?"

She groaned as she wiped her face. "I think it's nothing more than a farce, a charade. The truth is, your council tried to force Diamond into something he was not ready to do. I know how much he loved the Moon Princess, because she was my best friend and I know how much she loved him. They were a month away from realizing their dream of being together when she died. Your council decided he didn't need time to grieve and attempted to force him into an arranged marriage to take place on the very same day he was to marry my best friend..." she shook with angry sobs. "They are the ones who pushed him over the edge. He may have been able to survive if they had allowed him to take his time to heal properly and get the help he needed. They denied him both, now he is dead, and they want someone else to take the blame. Your prince is dead and rather than holding a memorial in his honor, we're putting an innocent man on trial, a man your prince viewed as a second father. Am I the only one who finds this wrong?" She blew her nose and wiped her eyes again, going back into the courtroom, leaving the reporter to do his job.

She didn't see the sly grin on his face. "No, you certainly aren't."

* * *

The Chancellor hit his gavel. "This court is has now resumed. Prosecution?"

"Prosecution rests Your Honor," the Prosecutor stated.

Ami was surprised, not sure if there was a trap she was about to step into, but stood up to call her own witnesses at the permission of the Chancellor. "Your Honor, I call Apothecary Citrine to the stand."

The gnarled old woman walked slowly to the stand, aided by her walking stick. Sitting in the stand, she took the oath of honesty.

"Apothecary Citrine, you run the Apothecary in the small village of Variscite, is that correct?" Ami asked.

"Yes, Counselor, I do."

"Is this your label on Exhibit B?" she pulled out the baggie that held the crystal bottle that still held the remnants of the poison that had killed Diamond.

"Let me get a closer look," the old woman put on a pair of reading glasses as Ami brought the bag over to her to examine. "Yes, that is my label."

"And you re recognize this bottle?"

"Yes, this is Essence of Hemlock, most commonly used to get rid of rats here on Nemesis," the woman explained.

"Do you remember the customer who bought this bottle?" she asked.

The woman pulled out a photo she had brought from her store's own surveillance camera. "I was able to take this still from my surveillance camera. Purchased on April 15th at 18:00 hours, as you can see by the time stamp. I do not know who bought the bottle exactly, you can see by the cloak that I could not see his face. But I don't think it was Wise Man."

"Why not?" Ami asked. She knew why of course but they needed to hear it.

"Simple, he was walking. As long as we've known Wise Man, he has never walked," the woman explained.

"Thank you Madame Citrine. Prosecutor, she's all yours," Ami sat down to let the Prosecutor question the old woman.

"Madame Citrine, you said you couldn't see WHO bought the bottle, correct," the Prosecutor asked.

"Yes, Prosecutor, you can see in the picture there was no way to make a positive identification."

"Then you don't know that it wasn't the Wise Man, isn't that right?"

"Like I said, he was walking, you can see the picture. He's upright on both legs, ya dummy."

"Yet, we don't know for certain that he CANNOT walk? Do you think it impossible for him to fake a disability and thus make himself less threatening," the Prosecutor asked. "Or is it not possible for him to use his black magic to let himself walk for a time or even to conjure a dummy to make the purchase for him."

"Prosecutor, are you just making stuff up as you go along?" the old woman scoffed. "Yes, any of these things are possible, however, the picture itself shows we cannot make a positive identification of who it was."

"That'll be all Madame Citrine," the Prosecutor returned to his seat.

Ami simply sneered at the man's attempt to discredit Wise Man. "Your Honor, I call Dr. Koda Keiichi to the stand." A human doctor took the stand, in his hand he held a folder. Upon taking the oath, Ami began. "Dr. Keiichi, will you please state your profession for the court?"

"I am a medical doctor specializing in spinal injuries," the doctor stated.

"You were called earlier this week to examine to run x-rays on the defendant, is that right?"

"Yes. I have the x-rays here." He gave the folder to Ami.

"Ladies and gentleman of the jury, may I present Exhibit C," she gave the x-rays (in protective sleeves to prevent fingerprints). "Doctor, will you please explain your results to the court?"

"Yes, I also have a diagram to illustrate the spine," the doctor stated. "Looking at the x-ray, you can clearly see that his T-9 back bone is all but completely destroyed. This injury indicates paraplegia, which is the loss of motor skills and sensory from the waist down."

"Then this could not be him in this picture," she showed him the picture provided by the apothecary.

"No, there would be no possible way for him to be even standing," the doctor explained.

Ami gave a sweet, contrary smile at the Prosecutor. "Your witness."

The Prosecutor was determined to nail this one. "Doctor, you are a human are you not? A man who believes in science and not fantasy?"

The doctor nodded. "That is correct."

"Then it would surprise to hear that normally, the Wise Man would be levitating, not sitting comfortably in a wheelchair?"

The doctor laughed. "Levitation? Prosecutor, you have a wonderful imagination. Levitation is scientifically impossible."

"And yet it is true, is it not my esteemed opponent," the Prosecutor looked at Ami who could only nod. "Something impossible is thus true. Thus your opinion that it would impossible for the Wise Man to be standing in this picture is inaccurate is it not?"

Ami was not expecting that. She should have though. She should realized a scientific doctor would not be much help on a planet that obviously has a mixture of both science and magic in its lifestyle. But she still had one science that was absolutely irrefutable by magic.

As the doctor was dismissed, she stood. "Your Honor, I would like to call Earth Police Officer Natsumi Sakurada to the stand." The eager woman came forward with her own folder of evidence. "Officer Sakurada, a few days you ago were given a few pieces of evidence to analyze. You know nothing about case correct beyond what you've heard here?"

"That's right. I was brought a small bottle and a hair brush with white hairs still entangled in it. The fingerprints and DNA found on the bottle match the fingerprints found on the brush and the DNA in the hair," Natsumi explained. "No other prints or DNA was found on the bottle."

"Thank you Officer, you've been most helpful," Ami sat down and whispered to Wise Man. "I don't see how they can counter that. Magic can't take someone else's prints off and put someone else's on it."

The Prosecutor seemed to sense that too. "No questions Your Honor," he told the Chancellor when he allowed him to question the witness.

Ami stood. "The Defense rests, Your Honor."

The Chancellor was clearly worried as he called for closing arguments.

The Prosecutor stepped up, unsure about what he was doing. "Citizens of Nemesis, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, nothing about the defense has exonerated the man on trial today. We know how skilled he is in his magic. And we know very little about him beyond that. Even the so-called x-rays could have the product his black magic just to prove his innocence. All he wants is to take the throne from the rightful heirs. If you are true Nemesians, you will find him guilty." Even he didn't buy that little speech, and he knew no one else would. He didn't know what else to say though. He had lost. He knew he had lost the moment the trial had started to be honest. The people were just too loyal to the old fart.

Ami heard the doubt in the man's closing argument. She had to wonder if he was even doing this on his own volition. "Ladies and gentlemen, you've seen and heard all of the evidence. You've seen that there is no way to confirm or deny the identity of the man who bought the poison. You've heard and seen evidence of the late prince's state of mind. And you know, in your hearts, that Wise Man is innocent of all charges. You know in your hearts that the only reason he is on trial now is because the late prince named Wise Man as the successor to the throne and since they can't control him like they did the prince, they don't want that. They also discovered his intention to disband the council entirely. They don't realize that they themselves are lucky they were not going to be in the same position they put Wise Man in today. Instead of performing your mourning customs for your prince, you have been roped into putting off your closure for several days just so they can try to discredit the Wise Man, mocking and dishonoring your prince's memory all at the same time."

"My dear counselor, you are out of line," the Chancellor said angrily.

One of the jurors stood up. "Actually, we disagree, Chancellor. We already have a verdict for you. In this case we find Wise Man aka Chronos innocent of all charges, as well as worthy of taking the office that our dear prince passed on to him. We also find that the Council is corrupt and is hereby formally disbanded."

The Chancellor sputtered as he stood. "On whose authority?"

"By the authority granted to us by King Azure himself," the man held out a badge and certificate signed by the King shortly before his death, proving that he did indeed have the authority to disband the council.

"What? Who are you, what are you?" the now-former Chancellor demanded.

"We are a group of undercover investigators put together by King Azure to make sure that no corruption returned to our government. You and the rest of the panel are to be banished for your crimes against our prince and the people. How dare you use US as an excuse to hurt the prince?" the man livid at the idea.

Ami realized who this person was. "You're the reporter I spoke to in the hall."

"Yes, I was. We've had suspicions about the council's nature. After the prince's death, after she was kicked off the board, Lady Onyx came to us with reports of the council's dishonest ways. Quite strange, considering she was just as bad. Perhaps she just wanted to make sure they were punished as well," the man speculated.

"Officer Garnet," one of the jurors interrupted his tangent.

The man shook his head. "Yes yes, I digress. The guards will escort the 5 of you to the launch site. You are forbidden from returning to Nemesis, doing so will result in very harsh punishment." He clapped his hands twice, loudly.

A group of guards came through the door and escorted the dumbfounded nobles from their places.

Garnet turned his attention to Wise Man. "Wise Man, while we are here, I do want to say that we do know everything about you, what you've done."

The old wizard raised his chin, ready to hear their judgment and accept it, whatever it may be.

"Of course the council didn't know, because they're idiots, but the day the King hired you as tutor, we put surveillance around you. We know what you have done to worlds that you encountered before you came here. You have been hailed practically as a god of death, rather than the god of time and creation," Garnet said. "And we know of your original intentions for the prince and his family."

"I admit, Officer, and to the people of Nemesis, I was not always the man I am today. When my family was taken from me, I was left in a very bad place, mentally speaking," he looked down as he felt all eyes turn on him in disbelief. "I hurt a lot of people and when I became Diamond and Sapphire's tutor and later found about their hatred for the White Moon Family, I intended to use that information to seek revenge on the White Moon, ultimately destroying Nemesis in the process. I was still bent on my revenge, despite the fondness I had developed for the young princes, when we came to the Earth of 1000 years in the future. I brought a lot of hate and anger with me, and I was wrong. It was little Rini who helped me to see that and to change my ways. For the evils I have done however, I know I do not deserve the crown nor do I deserve to even exist."

"Don't say that Wise Man!" Ami had been sure she'd gotten the man to understand. "You're not that man anymore. You're a great father and husband. You've been a good mentor for us. You were the one who gave...Serena...her third and last brooch. She never needed another one after that because you also helped her to understand that the power was not in the crystal or even in the brooch but in her. You did that for her. You helped her be Sailor Moon. The world might have destroyed if not for that, several times over."

"Ms. Mizuno, I am moved that you and your friends think so highly of me, however I still did those terrible things. No matter who I am now, I still need to be judged and punished for those actions. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction," he quoted to her. "Besides it was Diamond, and you girls who helped her to understand her inner strength. I just told her it was there."

Garnet watched and listened to the exchange and smiled. "That is true," he interrupted. "However, I am sure I speak for the rest of us when I say that you have been judged and punished. In addition, in caring for the princes, in looking out for them and teaching them how to go from little boys to being capable young men, you have properly atoned for your past actions. I didn't just say you were worthy of the post to shut the council up, that was just a perk. You will still accept the crown I assume. As our prince wanted?"

Wise Man turned his head back. "If the people still want me, then I shall accept. It is what he wanted and I will honor that. But first, the people must have their opportunity to say goodbye to their prince, as is their right."

"Yes," Garnet agreed. "It is time to say farewell to our prince and his princess. Now that we've dealt with business here, we can, at last, grieve properly. For the record, if the people had known of the funeral held on Earth, they would have been there. I know you told the Council but they chose not to tell anyone else." He looked out to those in the gallery. "If you would all make your way to the throne room, we can get started with why we should REALLY be here."

* * *

The throne room was practically a fire hazard waiting to happen, jammed with people from the door to the dais at the head of the ornate room. There were two thrones of what looked like a cross between emerald and malachite. One was topped with a Black Moon crest, but to the girls' surprise, the second was topped with the White Moon crest. Apparently, the people had been prepared to welcome Serenity as their queen. The sight reminded them that in just a few weeks they would have been the bridesmaids at their wedding. Rini was going to be their flower girl.

Mina leaned on Kunzite as she remembered going through the plans with Serena. The white petals of lily, jasmine and moonflower that would have been scattered in the aisle on the way to the preacher, or rather to Wise Man who would have officiated. She had been their wedding planner and it was killing her to know it would never happen now. Tears welled up in her eyes. If only she had been a more competent leader, perhaps she could have saved her friend and by proxy Diamond. She was supposed to be the leader of the Sailor Guardians. It should have been her to sacrifice her life to save her princess.

A gentle, loving hand rubbing soothing circles on back made her realize she was weeping, no, bawling into her husband's chest. She wasn't the only one either. Each of the soldiers were sobbing like their world was ending. They hadn't expected to go through another one of these, they had thought it was done. But they couldn't leave, they were Wise Man's friends too and they needed to stay to support him.

A sweet melody reached their ears, a duet with a harp and a piano. As they let it permeate their minds, they found it soothed their heartache.

"That's the ceremonial music they play at memorials," Sapphire's voice said from behind them.

"AH!" All 8 girls shrieked together.

Setsuna turned around. "Sapphire, what are you doing here?"

"Nehellenia and I had a visit earlier today, apparently someone knew I was alive. I don't know who or how..." Sapphire said, scratching his head in confusion.

"Well, it seems your dad formed a secret investigation unit to make sure the kingdom wasn't ruined by corruption and they've been spying on Wise Man I believe," Lita explained what they had learned at the end of that "trial."

"You should have seen the Chancellor's face when the leader had them kicked off of Nemesis," Mina said, recalling the best part of the event. She wiped away a tear as she giggled.

"I didn't know a face could become that shade of purple," Raye agreed. It felt good to laugh again.

Sapphire imagined the sight and couldn't help joining in the laughter. "Well, I'm happy that you won the trial. My brother would not have wanted him punished for something he didn't do..."

The memorial started like an Earth layout. There was a giant hand-painted portrait of Prince Diamond at the head of the room. People would walk by, most of them in tears, and place a small hand-made paper flower.

"Since flowers don't grow well on Nemesis, it has become a tradition to make them instead from paper. At funerals and memorials, the mourners each give an offering of a single paper flower in the design of the deceased's favorite flower. In this case, either jasmines or lilies," Sapphire explained.

As the citizens filtered in and out, as there was just not enough room for everyone, the pile of paper flowers grew into a small mountain. Finally, there seemed to be none left to give. Everyone sat on the floor on his or her knees, their hands folded and eyes closed in prayer while a man in a white robe began speaking in what they could only assume in Nemesian. The soldiers followed Sapphire's lead to know what they should do. After all, when in Rome, do as the Romans.

When the man stopped speaking, the investigation unit led the citizens in standing and walking in a straight line through the corridors of the palace.

"What did he say?" Ami asked as they followed the procession.

"It was a prayer. Roughly translated, it means 'Lords of Life and Death, guide this worthy soul into your arms where he may find peaceful rest.' On Nemesis, it is our belief that a soul does not fully depart the world without this prayer and the burning ceremony. It is also widely believed that souls that are not guided in this way, remain and will never find that peaceful rest or in Earth terms, become vengeful spirits," Sapphire explained. "The burning ceremony normally involves the body, however it is also suitable to instead burn something that belonged to the individual, most of the time an outfit they would normally wear."

* * *

The procession exited out of the palace and into a courtyard. In the center of the courtyard was a pyre, where the paper flowers that had been placed with the portrait lay on top of a pile of wood. As each person exited, they were given a small candle in a dainty silver candle holder.

"They're not going to have everyone here light the pyre, are they?" Raye asked. "Because with the amount here that would be very dangerous."

Sapphire shook his head. "No, the candle is similar to what humans use them for. The big fire sends them on their way, where as the candles light the way to the next world. All we have to do is hold them." Staring at the pyre, it slowly began to hit him who this ceremony was for. He'd known of course but the reality of the situation was punching him the stomach. His brother was gone, he'd never see his brother again.

The mass of mourning citizens made a rather later series of concentric circles around the pyre. Wise Man carried one of Prince Diamond's favorite outfits, his traditional white jacket with blue swirling designs and his matching dress slacks. Solemnly, tenderly he placed the clothing atop of the pyre.

"Farewell, my son...go in peace," he whispered, taking the candle he was offered and joining the masses.

The priest approached the pyre and, with a large torch, set the tinder in the center of the bonfire a light.

At first, it was silent, with the only sounds being the crackling of the wood and the low drone of the growing flames as the pile began to burn and smolder. Then over the sound of the burning fire, they heard the low dulcet timbre of a man singing in the strange Nemesian language. They realized it was the Wise Man. Others soon joined him in singing the melodic song as dark smoke rose into the air, the fire growing until it engulfed the paper flowers and the clothing laid upon it, followed by the rest of the pile. The tune sounded roughly familiar to that of Dona Nobis Pacem but the words were definitely not Latin. Sapphire's own voice joined the others. Not knowing the words, all the soldiers and their lovers could do was provide a harmony of vocalization.

When the song ended, each person, starting on the inner most circle, lay their candle down on the stone walkway surrounding them and left, again in a straight line. Sapphire was sobbing by the time they returned to the throne room. The portrait that had simply sat on the dais before, now hung up on the wall next to that of a man with blue hair longer and just a little darker than the ocean. That must have been King Azure, they realize, Diamond and Sapphire's father. Across the room, directly across from Azure's portrait was a painting of a woman with platinum-blonde hair, not quite white like Diamond's, but similar to that of a pearl. And beside her painting, to their shock was a portrait of Princess Serenity. They were touched by the gesture towards their princess, leader, sister, daughter and friend, a woman that the people of Nemesis hadn't even had the chance to know.

Setsuna held her lover as he wept for his brother, crying with him, for him and for her two lost friends.

* * *

Apparently, the memorial was completed as now the same man, Garnet was addressing as the Chancellor might have done if he hadn't been exiled earlier that day.

"It is sad to bid our prince farewell before he even got to realize his destiny as our king. We will always miss him. But now we must begin to rebuild and go on with our lives," Garnet stated with a sorrowful and yet somehow businesslike tone. "In his will, Prince Diamond named his head advisor and surrogate father, Wise Man, Lord Chronos, as his successor to the throne. Lord Chronos and Lady Nehellenia, I asked earlier but I must ask again as per protocol. Will you accept the office of supreme sovereigns over the Kingdom of the Planet Nemesis?"

Wise Man and Nehellenia stood (or hovered) on the dais, dressed in regal splendor as was naturally expected.

"We will," he answered for the both of them, as was the custom.

The priest, now joined by a priestess, stepped up from behind them bearing two crowns as Garnet continued, reading off a scroll. "Then do you swear to uphold the laws of the kingdom? Do you swear protect its people to the best of your ability and to lead them in times of prosperity and in times of strife?"

"We do," he answered again for both of them.

"Then we the people of Nemesis accept you to be our king and our queen. And we vow to serve you until the end of our days," Garnet recited as the Priest and Priestess literally crowned the pair. "I introduce to you, people of Nemesis, King Chronos and Queen Nehellenia. May their rule be long and just."

Applause rang out through the throne room, echoing off the walls. The people of Nemesis had a king again, and a queen. They would always miss their prince but they knew that Wise Man would do a fine job leading them in his place and their hearts were at peace, knowing that their beloved prince would be eternally watching over them, just as his father who had gone before.

* * *

And he would too, Diamond promised as he and Serena watched the proceedings.

"Diamond, that song they sang, that was Nemesian right?" she asked. "What does it mean?"

Diamond nodded. "Yes it was Nemesian. It means, roughly translated, 'Go in peace, go in peace, by your life we were blessed, May you find your peaceful rest.' Like the prayer spoken at the service, it is a traditional song sang at the burning ceremony. I remember when they did it for my father and stepmother..." he trailed off. "I wonder if they are here in Elysian."

"Maybe tomorrow we should try and find them."


	5. Chapter 5

FHOE-S5-C5

Finding Heaven on Earth: One Day at a Time  
Chapter 5

In the Arctic Circle, buried beneath millenniums worth of sediment and tons of ice, a dark blue-skinned female with long teal hair and eyes stood before a bubbling pool. Long, razor sharp black nails, attached to long, slender pale fingers stretched over the pool.

"For so long I have been trapped in this prison, but at last the time for my vengeance has come," she dipped a single long digit into the pool. "First, I need my most faithful servant to return to me, find her for me," she murmured to the pool.

The boiling water swirled and in the center the vision of a small child with long red hair sleeping in the arms of a handsome Earth couple. She frowned. This wasn't what she had expected. However she was not to be deterred.

"This is but a mere setback. I will simply have to put a little more effort into my spell," the woman said to herself. "She will be mine again but moon rise tomorrow."

* * *

When she had been reincarnated, Beryl had been confused as to how she had retained her memories. The memories of the beautiful times as a duchess in the Golden Kingdom, of the all-encompassing love she had felt for Prince Endymion, the anguish and bitter anger when he had broken off their engagement in favor of wedding the Moon Princess Serenity. She had loved Endymion and yet she had always known he hadn't felt the same way for her. She'd known the engagement was simply because he had to marry eventually and would rather marry someone he could stand to be around. She could have accepted the break up if it had been for anyone OTHER than the Moon Princess. How could she allow him to marry the daughter of the woman who had killed her family?

She remembered the war with the Moon Kingdom and, to her greatest shame, killing her dear Prince Endymion and his intended. She hadn't cared then, she had been thoroughly poisoned by the hatred emanating from the one called Metallia. She remembered being trapped in darkness for 1000 years before being awakened and tasked with freeing Metallia from her own imprisonment. In her brainwashed haze, Beryl had awakened her generals, the former Kings of the four compass points on Earth, once the sworn guardians of Prince Endymion. They had served her and by proxy, Metallia willingly and well until the one called Sailor V had appeared. Sailor Moon would arrive later and prove the greatest thorn in her side despite her obvious inexperience as a warrior. Beryl knew her mistake had been underestimating the young girl, even after she had been revealed as the reincarnation of Princess Serenity. Upon learning that the other thorn in her side, Tuxedo Mask, was the reincarnation of her beloved Prince Endymion she had been consumed with a terrible need to not only have him but to literally possess him like one might possess a piece of property or real estate. Again, he died by her own hands and the grief and guilt she felt in that instant was all Metallia needed to possess her entirely, body and spirit.

She was thankful when Serenity had succeeded in exorcising Metallia from her, successfully banishing her to darkness, killing her in the process.

However, that wasn't to be the end of her. 2 years later, her memories had woken in the body of a little girl called Briana, a child abandoned at an orphanage by her selfish human parents. She hid any signs that she was different from the lonely child she had come in as and that very night, she ran away.

Running away led her to the alleyway behind a small bakery/plant nursery. She had been intrigued at the idea, not many would think to combine such businesses together. A bakery and a restaurant she could imagine but not this. During the day, she would use her small nature to slip through the back door and into the kitchen where she would snitch some of the leftover cake that wasn't used in decorating. She had been surprised to discover that the cake was Kunzite's recipe, she would know that blend of sugar and spices anywhere. She had somehow stumbled upon those she had once commanded. She continued to hide behind the bakery, stealing food that was mainly sugar-based and sleeping in between the dumpster and the wall behind it until one morning she woke up to German Shepherd mix licking her face and clothing. At first, she had thought it was just the dog but she learned she was wrong when a young man with deep blue hair approached. She had feared that he would take her back to the orphanage and was surprised when instead he had taken her upstairs to his girlfriend's apartment, given a proper breakfast, although bland to prevent adverse effects given all the sugar in her system, a bath and even clean clothes.

That day would be full of surprises, not least was the discovery that Princess Serenity was no longer with Endymion but a white-haired prince from another planet and that Endymion had married the princess of an island nation. To top things off, friends of the soldiers, a couple by the names of Chad Kumada and his partner, a strangely effeminate male called Fish Eye, decided to not only give her a place to live but to adopt her as well, giving her a family; an odd, unconventional family but a family nonetheless. Her natural, untrusting nature had balked at first and she had done everything she could think of to try and drive them away. The trauma of her past hadn't helped her case however when right out of nowhere she would burst into tears or angry tantrums. However, somehow she got through it after she figured out that neither Chad or Fish Eye was going to turn her away, even after the whole group had learned who she really was. She had even been able to make peace with both Endymion and Serenity.

* * *

Now here she was, nearly 4 years old, officially named Beryl Kumada after Chad and Fish Eye had managed to get the system to agree to let them adopt her. She still marveled at how small-minded and stupid these present-day humans were; they had worried that because they were gay they were unfit to be parents. Thankfully, and again to her amazement, it was Sailor Moon who had come to the rescue, using her influence as a super-hero to convince those in charge that Chad and Fish Eye were good fathers to her. Nephrite had even helped to pay the adoption fees and get the two set up in a home of their own after Chad's parents had disowned him for "disgracing the family name." When questioned, Serenity had simply said she wanted to see Beryl with a family who would love her and gently patted her head.

When Serenity had been killed in the final battle with Galaxia, Beryl had been unsure what to think. Just because they had put their differences aside and generally made peace with one another, she still didn't like to think of the naive moon princess as a friend but rather an acquaintance. She knew she was not happy at the girl's death, and was in awe to find out that she had died willingly to save everyone else. Her parents had been sad and cried for long hours, but Beryl had not been able to cry.

* * *

When Fish Eye had dropped her off at daycare that day, everything seemed perfectly normal. As usual most of the other children avoided her, because of her very mature nature, and she sat in the book area reading the small picture books and some of the books she had brought with her.

When she had been enrolled at the daycare, the teachers had been in awe at how advanced she was intellectually. When she had been questioned as to who had taught her, she had simply said that these simple facts were too easy not to know, and to their chagrin, that perhaps their other students would be this smart too if they would actually focus on teaching them as opposed to just letting them play like children. Yeah, the attitude had earned her a trip to the Time Out Corner and a lecture about respecting her elders, but it had felt good. She hated what she believed was imbecility.

She was reading her new book, _Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley_, when she felt the beginnings of something strange happening inside of her. She dropped her book and clutched her churning stomach. Something was not right. As the pain intensified she tried her hardest to resist screaming, not wanting to draw attention to herself. At last, she passed out, wondering if anyone would even notice something was amiss.

* * *

Chad and Fish Eye were rehearsing their individual acts at the circus, now run mutually by Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye. When Zirconia had been defeated, it had only been natural that those two take over. They had transformed the circus from a den of evil back into what it was before, a place where people could come and have fun and laugh.

Fish Eye was in the middle of practicing his knife throwing and Chad rehearsing the new songs he had written when Hawk's Eye interrupted.

"Hey, you two have a call, it's your daycare," he told them.

Immediately the concerned parents, Fish and Chad made a run for the phone. Fish Eye reached it first and put the receiver to his ear. "Fish Eye here," he said. "What? Where is she? What happened? If you've lost my daughter, I swear I will have your guts for violin strings! Yes, we'll be there in ten minutes." He slammed the phone back down on the base. "Hawk's Eye, Chad and I have to leave. According to the daycare, Beryl has gone missing." He and Chad left without even waiting for Hawk's Eye to acknowledge them.

* * *

When they reached the daycare, the police had already been called in and everything. Fish Eye and Chad stomped in, not even giving the police a chance to talk them before shoving their way into the office, clearly angry and worried.

"Where is my daughter!" Fish Eye shouted angrily.

In the office, the police were talking or trying to talk to a woman who was clearly in her late 20's. Her hair was a deep red and she was wrapped in a blanket. The woman looked up at them upon their entrance. She looked harassed and upset at the situation.

"Father, Papa, I'm right here..." she said with a tone of aggravation.

The pair felt their mouths hit the floor. Who was this woman calling them "father?" Fish Eye bent down to look the woman in the eye. His eyes went wide as he realized. "Beryl?"

"Yes?" she answered with a familiar pursing of the lips in pout.

Wise Man was called from Nemesis (where he and Nehellenia were living while trying to get the government back to a more desirable state) to give his special brand of assistance. Magic got the preschool to release the young woman to them and planted memories of the woman being a relative who had come to pick Beryl up from school early to take her to a doctor's appointment, removing all memory of the previous upheaval.

* * *

In the Kumada Home family room, Wise Man used his crystal to run a scan on the woman. "This woman is definitely Beryl," he confirmed. "Somehow, a spell of aging was placed on her."

"How isn't important," Chad said. "What's important is can you reverse it?"

"Is that you want dear?" he asked the woman before him.

Beryl shrugged. "I was just getting used to being a child. I am in no hurry to be an adult again."

"Then I shall reverse it," Wise Man spoke a mix of Latin and Nemesian, invoking a light around Beryl. It was too bright to look at. However when it faded, there was no change. "Hm, odd..." he considered the situation. Very rarely did he come up against a spell he could not abate, as he was not only a god but also an accomplished wizard with millions of years of practice under his belt. There was only one time he could remember being unable to reverse any spell. "No..." he whispered as he realized what this had to mean.

"What is it, Wise Man?" Mina asked.

"I must go, there are some people I must speak with," he answered. "I would recommend preparing to take up your mantles as Sailor Soldiers again."

The girls eyed each other with concern. How could they possibly be Sailor Soldiers without their princess?

He sensed their unease. "I know it will be hard, but if you cannot do this, your princess' sacrifice may well be for naught. You will of course have the aid of Nemesis' military but if it is as I suspect, not even they will be able to protect the Earth and itself alone."

"But I thought destroying the crystal would stop all the fighting," Raye stated. If she found out that her friend had died for nothing, someone else would pay for it.

"It stopped the output of purely positive energy which would inversely attract purely negative energy. That is how it worked. It's like when a female dog in heat gives out pheromones to attract an unaltered male dog to her in order to achieve procreation," Wise Man explained. "The fighting will not end completely but it will be greatly lessened. Sailor Soldiers will be needed for all of time."

Feeling chastised, Raye lowered her head. "How can we fight without Serena...without Sailor Moon? Never mind the obvious emotional issues there, but she was the most powerful out of all of us. She was the one who always dusted the bad guy at the end," Lita stated matter-of-factly.

Wise Man nodded in understanding. "It will be difficult, but you must simply have faith that you can come through when you are needed. Do it for your leader's sake if it helps." Without another word, the man vanished.

With a sigh, it was Michiru who stated the obvious. "I guess this means we have to go down to the base again."

* * *

Sagittarius Palace

Lady Cosmos and Lord Chaos were waiting expectantly when the old wizard appeared before them.

"Chronos, son, we have been waiting for you to come home," Cosmos greeted the man coming forth to give him a maternal embrace.

Wise Man was not feeling so sociable however and brushed off her touch. "Mother, Father. You expected me, thus you know why I am here. So just answer the question you know that I have come to ask."

Chaos shot a harsh look at his firstborn. "Don't you talk to your mother that way, Chronos. You're not too old to take a trip over my knee. Yes, we know why you have come. And yes, your suspicion is correct. Your sister has awakened. When the silver crystal was destroyed, the energy backlash was enough to wake her and she now plans to turn her ire on the ones who sealed her there."

"I thought that Sailor Moon had destroyed her," Wise Man told his father. "What happened?"

"Son, she could have destroyed your sister, but Sailor Moon, at the time was still very naive. She didn't believe anyone deserved to die, no matter what they had done before. She chose instead to reseal her and renew the sleep spell that had been placed upon her until the Duchess Beryl woke her and chose to help her break her seal," Cosmos told him. "She truly believes...believed that anyone can be redeemed." Cosmos prayed her son didn't catch her slip of the tongue.

It seemed he didn't as Wise Man glowered at them. "This means that the death of the Moon Princess was practically meaningless. She destroyed the crystal to save her planet, her people, her soldiers from more death and destruction. Instead, in doing so, she awoke the one person who would see the entire universe destroyed. All because the pair of you could not do what you should have done before. She is a rabid dog, you cannot reason with her, and she works on no logic but her own. Instead, you keep relying on others to fix your fuck-ups! My son died because of your meddling!" Wise Man sat up straighter. "This is the last time, next time you stick your nose in; you get to fix the problem yourselves. I won't keep making innocent others pay for your mistakes."

* * *

For the first time in nearly 2 weeks, the group entered the store. Lita had to tell several regulars that yes, the store would be reopening but not for a few more days due to a crisis in their extended family.

They all stopped together at the door into the headquarters as the door slid open. The first thing they saw was the large table in the center, each chair back bearing their symbol and in their signature color.

They might all have burst into tears together if not for the tell-tale beeping over the computer system. "Incoming Message..." a computerized voice said. "Incoming message..."

"Guys!" a familiar, high-pitched voice squealed out. "Are you there? Answer me already!"

With a glance at each other, the 8 girls ran in together. Lita practically smashed the answer button on the keyboard.

"Rini!"


	6. Chapter 6

FHOE-S5-C6

Finding Heaven on Earth: One Day at a Time

Chapter 6

Beryl sat in her bed contemplating the sudden change. What could have caused it? Who could have cast a spell that Wise Man, aka CHRONOS God of Time and Creation, could not counter? Who could have that much power? More importantly, what was she supposed to do now? She had often cracked that being a kid sucked and other complaints about being treated like a kid but now she wanted it. She was also afraid. What if Chad and Fish Eye decided they didn't want her anymore because she wasn't little and adorable anymore? The bitter part of her even wondered why she cared. Why should she care about having parents? In her quandary, she never noticed herself take her favorite bear and clutch it close.

"Ohhh, isn't this just adorable," a harsh, sardonic voice came from her full-length mirror.

Beryl jumped, she knew that voice. Her eyes snapped to the mirror. "You?"

The woman in the mirror gave a poor imitation of a maternal smile. "Yes, my dear, it's me."

Subconsciously gripping the bear closer, Beryl growled at the mirror. "What do you want?"

The woman put a hand to her breast as though surprised by Beryl's attitude. "Now now, is that anyway to talk to the one who has only sought to help you in your goals?"

"Bullshit!" Beryl snapped. "You led me to kill the man I loved!"

"I simply helped you to get the revenge you wanted my child," the woman defended. "You wanted to kill him for what he did to you."

"NO!" Beryl shrieked. "I didn't! I didn't even want to kill that Moon Slut! I'm not like Queen Serenity! I wanted to destroy the silver crystal and SAVE my sweet Endymion but you! You twisted everything, twisted ME!"

"Child, listen to yourself, your sweet Endymion betrayed you, he never loved you, he just kept stringing you along. Then he dumped you for the daughter of the woman who killed your parents. He wasn't a sweet at all. He deserved to die. Just as the rest of the world deserves my hatred, your hatred, for fawning over that sailor twit," the woman said in her sultry voice. "And now I have reawakened and saw that you had been forced into the body of this tiny little girl-child. I returned you to your original state, complete with the magic you once possessed."

"Let me guess, you want me to serve you again? Well you can forget it!" Beryl shouted. "I will never serve you again after you used me! I have a life now, and a future. I have two fathers who love me in spite knowing what I've done. And I have friends, aunts really. They're the Sailor Soldiers and they trounced you once, they can do it again. And I know your weaknesses so don't even think about trying anything..." Unfortunately, Beryl did not sound as sure of herself.

"Do you really think they love you, foolish child? Perhaps they might have pretended when you were a cute, wittle kid. But now you're the witch who destroyed the White Moon Kingdom again. You're the same as you were when you tried to conquer the Earth three years ago. Why would they love you?"

"Because...that's what they do. They are good to me. Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity, even directly helped my fathers keep me. She was kind to me even though I tried to kill her on several occasions," Beryl shot at her. "Your tricks aren't going to work on me this time. They have shown me time and time again that they love me and you can't ruin that. I won't let you."

The woman laughed. "Okay, so I can't trick you...but that doesn't mean I cannot threaten you. You are going to rejoin my cause and do you know why?"

Beryl glowered. "There's nothing you can say to make me serve you!"

The woman sneered. "Not even to protect your family?"

"What?" Beryl asked.

"It's quite simple, you can serve me and help me to conquer the Earth, or your two dear fathers will be the ones to pay for your refusal," the woman said with a haughty grin. "I'll give you until tomorrow evening to decide. Oh, and I wouldn't tell anyone about our meeting if I were you. Same punishment, my dear. See you tomorrow for your answer, ta-ta, cheerio and all that rot," the vision of the woman faded from the mirror just as Beryl threw a hairbrush, the closest thing to her, at the mirror, shattering it into thousands of pieces.

She clutched her bear to her, crying. What was she to do? Could she really go back to that life? Could she betray her newfound family and friends? Last time, she had destroyed everything she loved. Could she really do it again? She thought about Chad and Fish Eye. Could she betray everything they had done for her and yet at the same time, refusing could mean their deaths.

"I don't have a choice," she said softly to herself. She thought about the Sailor Soldiers. Perhaps they would be able to stop Metallia and her before she ruined anything else.


End file.
